Aiming to cheer everybody on in the runup to 2020 and beyond, Kenshi Yonezu formed two music groups consisting of young children called Foorin and Foorin team E to perform the Japanese and English versions of his song Paprika respectively as part of an ongoing music project. 

Foorin team E “Paprika” Dance Video

Check out the English version of Paprika performed by Foorin team E on YouTube. 

Paprika was dropped on digital services worldwide on December 2. Paprika will also be released on CD in First-Press Edition and Regular Edition copies on January 22 in Japan. The First-Press Edition comes in a seven-inch jacket containing the lyrics on a displayable card, a DVD of the music video and origami paper. There is also the chance to get your hands on a bonus Paprika dream magnet which will be in limited availability at selected music shops in Japan. Information on places to purchase will be revealed in the near future. The illustration for the CD jacket was created by Ryu Kato, who also created the illustrations used in the music video for Kenshi Yonezu’s cover of Paprika and the illustrations for the jacket of Foorin’s version of Paprika.  

As is the case with the Japanese version of Paprika, the royalties generated by Yonezu from the release of the English version of Paprika and its secondary usage will be donated to Independent Administrative Corporations and Japanese sports foundations in order to assist athletes of the future generations.  

Photo by Takako Noel

Paprika is working up a sensation throughout Japan as a break-through kid’s song. When Foorin released Paprika in 2018, the dance music video was viewed over 140 million times on YouTube and Paprika-related videos on NHK’s website generated over 260 million views. The song’s lyrics and music writer and producer Kenshi Yonezu even released his own cover of Paprika earlier this year in August. In just four days and nine hours since its upload, the cover was viewed over 10 million times, which is the fastest record for any of Yonezu’s music videos. Now the video has over 50 million views and is loved by people of all generations. 

Yonezu’s projects are propelling forward full steam ahead. Who knows what he’s got next up his sleeve?

Foorin is a music unit made up of elementary school children with music and lyrics produced entirely by Kenshi Yonezu. Their single Paprika was released on August 15, 2018. Following auditions for native English-speaking children, Yonezu formed Foorin team E to create an English version of Paprika. 

Since the debut of Foorin’s song and dance video in 2018, the song appeared in collaboration with NHK Educational TV and has made multiple appearances in events across Japan, adding a sprinkle of fun to the lives of Japanese children. It has become one of the most phenomenal kid’s songs of the century. 

Yonezu’s cover of the song became an instant hit among people of all generations and was well-received overseas. With a desire to make singing and dancing to Paprika more of a global sensation, he set about creating an English version of the song with native English-speaking children.

Foorin team E consists of main vocalists Jasmine (10) and Corban (8) and chorus and dancers Len (12), Evangeline (12) and Clara (6).

Foorin team E’s first-ever performance of Paprika will take place at ABU TV Song Festival in Tokyo on November 19 at NHK Hall and they will also perform alongside Foorin for the first time at Japan’s 70th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen. 

Get together with your family and younger siblings to enjoy two exciting versions of this cheerful song.

Foorin Artist Photo by Taro Mizutani

Kenshi Yonezu Artist Photo by Tomokazu Yamada

Perfume just dropped their first-ever greatest hits album Perfume The Best “P Cubed” on September 18.

Perfume appeared as the first ever J-pop girl group to perform at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival earlier this year―a year which marks 15 years since their major debut.

The enormous greatest hits album features a long list of 52 tracks, all created by Yasutaka Nakata, and all carefully selected by the group members and their staff. The line-up includes singles, hit tracks always perfumed at live shows, their latest track Nana Nana Nairo which was released digitally back in July, and an all-new song entitled Challenger.

The album will be released in several editions. Limited Pressing Edition and First Press Limited Edition copies are coupled with a bonus disc which features music video for the title track Future Pop as well as a digest live video compiling footage from the group’s 4th world tour “FUTURE POP” which was taken across Shanghai, Taiwan and North America from February to April earlier this year. It also comes with the fan-favourite radio series featuring Perfume.

Additionally, Perfume’s entire discography from their major debut to today, including albums and singles, was made available on major streaming platforms including Spotify on September 18. This includes everything from their 2005 major debut single Linear Motor Girl to the greatest hits album.

Celebrate 15 years of Japan’s biggest J-pop group Perfume by listening to Perfume The Best “P Cubed”.

Kenshi Yonezu released his new single Uma to Shika on September 11 and it has soon become a new record-breaking sensation. The song served as the main theme for the TBS Sunday drama No Side Game, which just aired its last episode. The Oricon Weekly Single Rankings revealed that the single has so far been sold 412,000 times, which is Yonezu’s largest sale yet.

The first ever solo Japanese artist to make over 400,000 sales within the first week of a release was achieved by Tomohisa Yamashita in June 2006 with his song Daite Señorita. After 13 years and 3 months, a new record has been set by Yonezuー the perfect way to start the brand new Reiwa Era.   

The Download Chart shows that the rank for Uma to Shika is remaining steady. The Oricon Digital Single Ranking Chart shows that the single was downloaded 74,178 times in just one week, earning the top place. Since the single’s advanced sales which started on August 12, the single has remained at No.1 for five whole consecutive weeks. 

In the drama No Side Game, Hayato Kimijima (played by Yo Oizumi) works as the general manager of the company’s rugby team named Astros. He puts up a rigorous fight to keep the team from falling apart so that they can face off against their arch rival team known as the Cyclones. Despite suffering an injury, team player Jo Hamahata, who carries the spirit of the team, rises to the challenge of the fierce battle with every ounce of energy to ensure victory, gambling his sports career by wagering everything on his last shot.

The team members, staff and even the team supporters joined forces as one to ensure the team’s win, putting every ounce of their body and soul into the match. The theme drama’s theme song Uma to Shika is perfect for summing up this heated moment. The overwhelming feelings of the drama resonate in Yonezu’s song and has even stretched out to inspire many viewers. Many fans are still sending in messages about their lingering feelings towards the final episode. 

Kenshi Yonezu dropped his new music video for Uma to Shika only a week ago and it has already amassed over 10 million views on YouTube.

The music video was directed by Tomokazu Yamada who also worked on Yonezu’s Lemon and Flamingo music videos. It begins on a rooftop and sees a whopping army of 120 extras within which Yonezu himself appears. The music video has fans excited, and that fire isn’t looking to die down anytime soon as comments continuously roll in from people around the world.

‘Uma to Shika’ Music Video

Uma to Shika will be released on CD on Wednesday this week. It will be used as the main theme for the Japanese drama No Side Game which will begin airing on September 15.

Kenshi Yonezu’s new song Uma to Shika (“Horse and Deer”) has been No. 1 on Oricon’s digital charts for three weeks in a row. The single will be released on CD on September 11.

In the run up to its release next Wednesday, the song’s music video premiered at a “Mirror Screening” event yesterday (September 2).

The screening was held at Omotesando Hills Space O.

Fans were welcomed to the event with giant boards featuring photos taken from the music video. Further along the corridor were wall mirrors of various types which led to a place where the entire wall was a mirror, offering a diffused reflection of everything it mirrored. As fans waited in anticipation, the intro to Uma to Shika began playing before the the music video was suddenly projected onto the mirrors.

This offered an experience like no other as fans essentially became a part of the music video themselves.

“Uma to Shika” Music Video

The gorgeous music video was directed by Tomokazu Yamada who also worked on Yonezu’s Lemon and Flamingo music videos. It features a cast of over 120 people who take part in a video like no other from Yonezu.

A video has just dropped on Kenshi Yonezu’s YouTube channel showcasing a teaser of his 2019 “Sekitsui ga Pearl ni Naru Koro” tour which will be featured on the DVD and Blu-ray discs coupled with the Video Edition of his forthcoming new single Uma to Shika which is set to hit shelves on September 11.

Kenshi Yonezu 2019 Tour “Sekitsui ga Pearl ni Naru Koro” Live Teaser

The teaser features snippets of some of his newest singles including Flamingo, TEENAGE RIOT and Gomen Ne as well as other clips with backup dancers and drummers like amen and Undercover. There is also a peek of his live performance of his hit song Lemon.

Kenshi Yonezu recently announced a new tour entitled “Kenshi Yonezu 2020 TOUR / HYPE.” The tour was announced via digital signboards at train stations in cities across Japan where the tour is set to take place. The tour will run next year from February to April where Yonezu will hit up 10 arena venues for 20 performances, making it his biggest tour to date.

Yonezu’s new single Uma to Shika will be released in three editions: the “No Side Edition,” “Video Edition” and “Regular Edition.” All three editions come with application cards for a chance to access pre-sale tickets to the singer’s “HYPE” tour. Pre-sale sign-up will end on September 15.

Uma to Shika received an early digital release last week ahead of the CD release. It has stayed at No. 1 on Oricon’s weekly digital single charts for two weeks in a row.

The “Video Edition” of the new single is limited-edition and will discontinue once all have been sold. If you’re looking to get your hands on a copy to see the full show from his 2019 tour as teased in the live teaser then be sure to pre-order your copy ASAP.

Kenshi Yonezu’s new single was released digitally on August 12―ahead of the CD release which is set for September 11. It serves as the main theme for the TBS Sunday drama No Side Game for which it has drawn a great deal of attention. The track has raked in 165,000 downloads on Oricon’s digital single ranking (for August 26) and has taken the No. 1 spot on Billboard Japan’s download song charts with 172,000 downloads, making it the song with the most number of downloads in the first week in 2019.

New details have been released on Uma to Shika, including the unveiling of the CD cover art, and the different editions it will be released in.

As with most of Yonezu’s releases, the cover art of the new single was illustrated by the singer-songwriter himself. It will be released in three editions: the “No Side Edition,” “Video Edition,” and “Regular Edition.”

The “No Side Edition” comes in pure white packing, decorated in silver leaf and manufactured in a way so that it feels like leather. The disc is printed with a picture label on it. The whistle-shaped pendant is made from metal and coated in a white matte while the string is white leather. And the whistle isn’t just for show―it actually works too. The illustration itself is a mix of of a horse (uma) and deer (shika) which is the name of the single.

The “Video Edition” opens up like a book to reveal a CD and DVD both with picture labels on them. The DVD features a teaser of 11 songs covering 18-minutes taken from Kenshi Yonezu’s “Sekisui ga Opal ni Naru Koro” 2019 tour. It also includes the music video for Umi no Yuurei.

All three editions come with application cards for a chance to get pre-sale tickets to Kenshi Yonezu’s “HYPE” tour which will begin in February 2020 and take him to 10 cities for 20 shows. Pre-sale sign-up ends on Sunday September 15.

When bought at select stores, all CDs will come with a special leather wristband. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis at each store.

The single’s “No Side” and “Video” editions are both limited-edition, so you’ll want to put your orders in quick if you want a copy.

It has been announced that Kenshi Yonezu will head on a nationwide arena tour in Japan next year. The title of the tour is “Kenshi Yonezu 2020 TOUR / HYPE” and it will take place from February to April where he will hit up 10 arena venues for 20 performances, making it his biggest tour to date.

To help promote the tour, digital signboards at train stations in cities across Japan where the tour is set to take place suddenly began displaying information about the tour on August 12. In each city, the signboards simply displayed the name of the tour as well as the date and venue of that city which Yonezu will perform at. All of this was without any other prior announcements; news about the tour spread online by people posting photos of the signs in their city, effectively helping to spread the “hype.”

Application cards for pre-sale tickets to the tour will be available on first press copies of Yonezu’s upcoming new single Uma to Shika (“Horse and Deer”) which will be released on September 11, 2019. The ticket window for ordering pre-sale tickets will run from September 10 to at 10:00am (JST) to September 15 at 11:59pm (JST). These will be available with all first press copies of both regular and limited editions.

Kenshi Yonezu is set to electrify fans once more on his “HYPE” tour, his first in almost a year.

Since Kenshi Yonezu released his single Lemon in March last year, it has gone on to enjoy huge success, reaching numerous milestones.

The song was written as the main theme for the TBS drama Unnatural which aired in January 2018. Its music video was released the following month and garnered huge views in an instant, and after just 475 days it had reached over 400 million. It was also the first Japanese music video to gain 300 million. Lemon has also sold over 300 million copies. It is the first song to rank three times in a row on Billboard JAPAN Hot 100: for both halves of 2018 and the first half of 2019.

Photo by Tomokazu Yamada

Speaking of its continued success, Yonezu comments: “I am thankful. It exceeded my expectations a long time ago, but I’ve been very interested to see just how far it will go. I’m mostly unaware of my own songs. I’d like it to continue to be loved by people.”

As a show of gratitude to how much Lemon has resonated with people, the CD cover art will be displayed permanently at the Otsuka Museum of Art in Tokushima in the form of a ceramic tile from July 30.

Touban, or “ceramic tiles,” don’t lose their colour or deteriorate and so can keep their colour and shape for up to 2,000 years.

It was revealed earlier this month that Kenshi Yonezu’s song Lemon had reached number one on Billboard JAPAN, and now it has set yet another milestone as its music video broke 400 million views on June 16.

Kenshi Yonezu – “Lemon” Music Video

Lemon was written as the main theme for the TBS drama Unnatural which aired in January 2018. Its music video was released the following month and garnered huge views in an instant, and after just 475 days it has reached over 400 million. It was also the first Japanese music video to gain 300 million.

Lemon has also sold over 300 million copies. It is the first song to rank three times in a row on Billboard JAPAN Hot 100: for both halves of 2018 and the first half of 2019.

Photo by Tomokazu Yamada

Yonezu’s other music videos have also garnered huge views: Uchiage Hanabi is on 281 million, Aine Kuraine is on 202 million―the list goes on. He boasts seven music videos that have over 100 million views: the aforementioned three, LOSER, orion, Peace Sign and Haiiro to Ao (+Masaki Suda).

The singer-songwriter is the number one most subscribed to Japanese artist on YouTube with over 3.8 million subscribers and 1.8 billion views.

Kenshi Yonezu’s newest single Umi no Yuurei was released just last Monday and clocked in at number one on both Oricon’s Weekly Digital Singles for June 17 as well as on Billboard JAPAN’s “Download Songs.” It has now been revealed that the track has dominated not only the daily charts but the weekly charts too for a 2019 release.

The song’s music video hit 10 million views on YouTube in just over 4 days, Yonezu’s fastest video to do so. It has now amounted over 20 million views.

ⒸDaisuke Igarashi / Shogakukan

On its first day of release it hit number one on 26 music platforms and enjoyed 51,967 downloads according to Oricon. A week later for Oricon’s Weekly Digital Single charts, it amounted 126,715 downloads, shooting it up to top place for the weekly charts. These numbers make Umi no Yuurei the song with the most downloads after a week for a 2019 release as of today.

This is Yonezu’s 4th song to make it to number one on Oricon’s Digital Charts since December 11, 2017 following the success of LOSER, Lemon and Flamingo.

Photo by Tomokazu Yamada

Not only did Umi no Yuurei top Billboard JAPAN’s “Download Songs” but the Japan Hot 100 too. Its ability to reach number one on the charts despite not yet having a CD release is proof of its popularity.

Umi no Yuurei will be used as the main theme for the upcoming Japanese animated movie Children of the Sea.